Tone Words--Vocabulary List First Six Weeks:
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Prefix/Root/Suffix/Etymology
Word
abashed
2
Latin Root: ambi- “both”, “on
both sides”, or “around”
ambivalent
3
4
Latin Root: val- “strength”,
“worth”
Latin Root: bell- belli- “war”,
“fight”, or “fighting”
Latin Root: ben- “well” or
“good”
belligerent
benevolent
Definition
ADJ. Ashamed or embarrassed;
disconcerted.
ADJ. Having mixed feeling about
someone or something; being
unable to choose between two
(usually opposing) courses of
action.
ADJ. Hostile and aggressive;
warlike; given to waging war.
N. A nation or person engaged in
war or conflict, as recognized by
international law.
ADJ. Kind and generous;
organized to do good things for
other people.
Root Share
Abash.
Ambidextrous, ambiguous,
ambient, ambiversion.
Avail, equivalent, evaluate,
prevail, valiant, valid, valor.
Bellicose, antebellum,
belligerent.
Benediction, benefactor,
beneficence, beneficent,
benefit, beneficial, benign.
Latin Root: vol- “will”
5
6
7
8
Etymology--Greek word:
bombyx “silk” or “silkworm”
 Latin word:
bombacem/bombax
“cotton” French: bombace
“cotton, cotton wadding” 
bombast “cotton padding” 
bombastic “padded
speech/actions/etc.”
Latin Root: capr- “goat”
bombastic
ADJ. Marked by or given to trying
to sound important or impressive
but without true sincereity. Highsounding but with little meaning;
inflated.
capricious
Caper, caprice, Capricorn,
caprine.
Etymology—Latin word:
cholera “one of the four
humors thought to cause
anger and bad temper when
present in excess; yellow bile”
Latin Prefix: com- “with”
choleric
ADJ. Changing often and quickly,
especially in mood or behavior;
not logical or reasonable; based
on an idea, desire, whim, that is
not possible to predict.
ADJ. Made angry easily; hottempered.
ADJ. Satisfied with how things are
and not wanting to change them;
marked by self-satisfaction
especially when accompanied by
unawareness of actual dangers or
deficiencies.
ADJ. Difficult to understand;
having or seeming to have a
hidden meaning; secret or occult.
Implacable, placate, please,
placid, pleasure,
complaisant.
complacent
Latin Root: plac- “calm”
“peace” “please”
9
Malevolent, volition,
voluntary, volunteer,
voluptuous.
Bombast.
Greek Root: crypt “hidden”
cryptic
Cholera.
Apocryphal, crypt,
cryptography.
10 Latin Prefix: dis- “apart,”
“asunder,” “away,” “having a
negative or reversing force.”
Latin Root: pati- or pass“suffer,” “feel,” “endure,”
“permit.”
11 Latin Root: ferv- “boil” or
“glow.”
dispassionate
ADJ. Not influenced by strong
emotion, and so able to be
rational and impartial.
Passion, passive, patience.
fervent
ADJ. Having or displaying a
passionate intensity; having or
showing enthusiasm.
ADJ. Filled with passion or zeal;
showing great warmth or
intensity of feeling.
Fervor, perfervid, ferment,
fervid.
ADJ. Opposed to someone or
something in a very angry or
determined way that cannot be
changed; not capable of being
appeased, significantly changed,
or mitigated.
ADJ. Marked by being hottempered and easy to anger.
ADJ. Feeling or expressing great
joy; very happy.
Complacent, placate,
please, placid, pleasure,
complaisant.
ADJ. Feeling or expressing
pleasure and sadness which is
caused by remembering
something from the past and
wishing to experience it again;
feeling or expressing
homesickness.
ADJ. Displaying wealth or
knowledge in a way that is meant
to attract attention, admiration,
or envy; marked by or fond of
conspicuous and sometimes
pretentious displays.
ADJ. Able to become strong,
healthy, or successful again after
something bad happens; able to
return to an original shape after
being pulled, stretched, pressed,
bent, etc..
ADJ. Having or expressing doubt
about something (such as a claim
or statement); disbelieving.
Neuralgia, analgesic.
12 Latin Prefix: im- “in” or “on.”
impassioned
Latin Root: pati- or pass“suffer,” “feel,” “endure,”
“permit.”
13 Latin Prefix: im- “not.”
implacable
Latin Root: plac- “calm,”
“peace,” “please.”
14 Latin Root: irasc- or irat- “be
angry.”
15 Etymology—Latin word:
jubilare “to call to someone,”
and jubilum “wild shout.”
16 Greek Root: alg- “pain.”
irascible
17 Greek Prefix: os- “against.”
ostentatious
jubilant
nostalgic
Latin Root: tend- or tens“stretch” or “strain.”
18 Latin Root: sali- sili- “jump.”
resilient
19 Latin Root: scop- or scept“look at,” “examine,” “view,”
or “observe.”
skeptical
20
whimsical
ADJ. Unusual in a playful or
amusing way; not serious;
resulting from or characterized
by whim or caprice.
Compassion, compatible,
dispassionate, passion.
Irate, ire.
Jubilation.
Ostensible, contention,
portent, tendency, tension.
Desultory, salient.
Horoscope, kaleidoscope,
microscope, periscope,
telescope, skeptic,
skepticism.
Whim.